Warning! This article contains spoilers for Cross season 1.A missing story from Cross season 1 serves as the perfect reminder to watch a divisive Morgan Freeman movie that came out over two decades ago. Featuring Aldis Hodge as its titular detective character, Cross season 1 unfolds like a typical crime thriller, where its protagonist races against time to catch a serial killer while fighting his own demons. However, despite dabbling with many familiar tropes and ideas, Cross establishes itself as a worthy competitor to other gripping detective shows on Amazon Prime Video with its well-timed twists and strong performances.
Interestingly, Cross is based on James Patterson’s Alex Cross books. However, unlike most other thriller book adaptations like Jack Ryan and Reacher on Amazon Prime Video, Cross avoids being loyal to its source material. Instead, it adopts an original storyline while only borrowing a few narrative and character beats from the original books. Despite being original in more ways than one, Cross features many hidden story details that subtly remind a viewer of a 23-year-old Morgan Freeman movie.
Cross Season 1 Skips Over The Events Of Alex Cross’ First Few Books (But References Them)
Despite Having An Original Story, Cross Season 1 Features Subtle Nods To Its Source Material
Amazon’s Cross does not follow the story beats from any particular Alex Cross novel. However, as its narrative suggests, it focuses on one of the earlier arcs of the character’s long journey as a talented detective. Even though Cross avoids closely adapting the original books’ stories, it features some intriguing nods to the first few novels in the James Patterson series. For instance, in the show’s first episode itself, the central serial killer, Ed Ramsey, claims to be Alex Cross’ fan and recalls how solving the Gary Soneji case made him a celebrity.
…Alex Cross has already experienced the events of Along Came a Spider and his timeline is set further ahead than the earlier books.
The Gary Soneji case is a direct reference to the events of James Patterson’s first Alex Cross novel, Along Came A Spider. In the book, Gary Murphy/Soneji, who has dissociative identity disorder, is one of the main characters and has dissociative identity disorder. While Cross season 1’s Ed Ramsey is an original villain who never appears in the books, the fact that he mentions Gary Soneji connects the show’s narrative to one of the main story beats from the source material. It highlights that Alex Cross has already experienced the events of Along Came a Spider and his timeline is set further ahead than the earlier books.
Alex Cross’ First Book Was Adapted In Morgan Freeman’s 2001 Thriller Along Came A Spider
Unlike The Show, The 2001 Movie Is A Loyal Adaptation
Featuring Morgan Freeman as Alex Cross, 2001’s Along Came A Spider was directed by Lee Tamahori. The film’s storyline was based on James Patterson’s 1993 novel of the same title. However, owing to its limited runtime, the movie avoided adapting many crucial plot points from the original book. Against a budget of $28 million, the movie went on to gross $105.2 million at the global box office. Even though 2001’s Along Came A Spider has a standalone story, it serves as a follow-up to 1997’s Kiss The Girls, which adapted James Patterson’s second book in the Alex Cross series.
Like the original book, 2001’s Along Came A Spider features Gary Soneji as one of the key players in its story, who is initially introduced as the primary villain but later revealed to be a ploy in another character’s overarching plan. Given how Morgan Freeman plays Alex Cross in the film, it does not serve as an official prequel to Amazon’s Cross season 1. However, since the show refers to the movie’s events in the past tense, viewers can check it out to learn more about Alex Cross’ backstory and the criminal case he solved before he crossed paths with Ed Ramsey.
How Aldis Hodge’s Alex Cross Compares To Morgan Freeman
Both Deserve Some Apperciation, But One Is Far More Memorable
Even though the Morgan Freeman movies accurately adapt the original books, Freeman was much older than how Alex Cross is depicted in the source material. While the actor was close to 60 when he played Cross, Alex Cross is in his late 30s in the novels. Since Aldis Hodge is 38 years old, his age and appearance are more in tandem with the original character. While Aldis Hodge’s demeanor and screen presence are enough to capture the character’s brawn, the show focuses on highlighting his intellect by featuring immersive sequences where he is deep in thought.
Alex Cross Adaptation
Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
Kiss The Girls (1997)
34%
62%
Along Came A Spider (2001)
32%
53%
Alex Cross (2012)
11%
47%
Cross (2024)
77%
67%
In the movies, Freeman’s Cross seems similar to most detectives from the big and small screens as he skims through evidence to find new clues. Hodge’s Cross, in contrast, is portrayed more as a genius who, time and again, sees things through his tunnel vision to uncover intricate details that others might have missed. While both versions of the character have their own appeal, Aldis Hodge’s portrayal of the character in Amazon’s Cross seems far more memorable.
